Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Match.com in $50M Class Action Crosshairs

LAW.COM - July 15 - A South Florida litigator filed a class action seeking $50M in damages in New York federal court against Match Group. The class action complaint alleges Match Group committed fraud, breach of contract, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Users claim they were tricked into purchasing subscriptions to Match.com. After creating free profiles, the defendant informed new users that other members had initiated contact with them. But to read those messages or to craft a response, the users had to upgrade their accounts to a paid subscription, which hundreds of thousands did only to find out that "many of these communications were scammers". The lawsuit is based on a FTC lawsuit filed in 2019 that stalled, and a separate action in California. Match Group settled the latter case in California state court last week for $2M, without admitting fault, based upon claims arising out of automatic renewals without user consent.

by Michael A. Mora
See full article at Law.com

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More Younger People Are Looking for Friends on Match, Bumble and Tinder

WALL STREET JOURNAL - July 8 - Dating apps are getting friendlier. More younger people see no problem swiping left or right to find friend matches rather than dates or hookups. Millennials and Generation Z have been comfortable using dating apps to meet platonic friends for a few years now, especially when moving to a new city. During the pandemic, the practice boomed. In a recent survey of 300 members of Generation Z aged 16 to 24 in the U.S., 35% said they have used dating apps to make platonic friends over the past 12 months, according to OnePulse, a consumer insight app and web portal. 27% said they used dating apps to make friends because they were lonely in lockdown. More women than men - 39% vs. 29% - said they used dating apps to make platonic friends.

by Ray A. Smith
See full article at Wall Street Journal

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Dr. Helen Fisher - Science Proves That Love Is an Addiction, Tech Is Changing Courtship

LTR - June 21 - Dr. Helen Fisher, Biological Anthropologist at the Kinsey Institute, has devoted her career to the scientific study of love, attraction, and compatibility. Dr. Fisher, who is the Chief Scientific Advisor for Match.com, has conducted numerous neurological, empirical, and survey studies to develop a greater understanding of relationships. According to her research, technology has not killed love, it has changed courtship. Love continues to be deeply woven into society and culture. Three brain systems influence romantic love: sex drive, romantic attraction, and attachment. They are governed by hormones and neurotransmitters. Dr. Fisher's annual study of daters shows that 40% met their last first date online. Video chatting has become a significant intermediary prior to in-person meetings, providing greater opportunity for vetting and chemistry-building. Dr. Helen Fisher shares her wealth of scientific knowledge in the latest video in the LTR Conference series.

LTR stands for Love, Technology, Relationships and the online conference covers the Internet dating and Online Social Communities space. It is for members of IDEA and OSCA.

The April LTR was kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.

Match Urges Singles to Get Back to Love

THE DRUM - June 15 - Ryan Reynolds' agency and production firm Maximum Effort has teamed with Match to deliver a playful, musical campaign encouraging singles to reignite their love lives. It's time to "Get back to love" according to Match. 12 real wedding singers belt out a parodic musical number urging the world's single folks to get back out there so they can get back to working again.

by Kendra Clark
See full article at The Drum

See the top news on Match.com

Does Match.com's 'Hannah' Enjoy Microwaving Butterflies?

SNOPES - June 10 - In 2015, the UK version of the Match.com dating site unveiled a #Loveyourimperfections promotional campaign, which urged viewers to embrace their imperfections with the suggestion that someone users could find through Match.com might consider what they see as a flaw to be a positive attribute. One of the most-reproduced images purportedly derived from this campaign is "Hannah," whose imperfection is that she "microwaves butterflies in her spare time." "Hannah" wasn't really microwaving butterflies, however, nor was that trait assigned to her by Match.com's advertising campaign. The popular image was the product of the (now-dormant) Twitter account WeFixYourAdverts, which posted versions of advertisements that had been tweaked through digital manipulation to make them darkly humorous.

by David Mikkelson
See full article at Snopes

See the top news on Match.com

Match Group Partners With the UK Government to Promote COVID-19 Vaccinations

PR NEWSWIRE - June 7 - Match Group is working with the UK government to promote COVID-19 vaccinations across its brands including Tinder, Match, OurTime, OkCupid, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish. The apps will run ads for the UK government's Hope Campaign, share vaccine resources, and offer vaccination badges for singles to display on their profiles, as well as free "Super Likes" and other boost-type features for UK users who say they are vaccinated. Members will start seeing the banners and incentives starting this week, and the campaign will run throughout the month of June.

See full article at PR Newswire

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Match CEO Shuns Casual Dating on the App

YAHOO FINANCE - June 4 - Dating apps will now offer COVID-19 vaccination badges. Match and Match Affinity CEO Hesam Hosseini joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss.

Q: Can you disclose at this current moment what percentage of folks have actually chosen to have the badge? Are there any negative commentary saying we don't appreciate this new feature?
A: The feature is launching actually in a week. It's really about our members choosing to disclose that.

Q: What have you seen to back up the idea that people really want to get out there and start using dating apps, not just to meet but actually get out on dates?
A: We're seeing two parallel trends. So for some, the pandemic was a moment of reflection. And as they're getting back out and starting to date, they're really looking for something meaningful. For others, it was a year with, frankly, a lack of intimacy, and they're looking for something more fun and just more casual dating this summer. And when we saw those trends, our reaction at Match was, if you're looking for something casual, that's totally cool. Just don't come to Match. Match is built for meaningful relationships.

Q: When you look across all of your brands, which platform do you see getting the biggest bump?
A: Our non-Tinder brands, including Match, combined saw 30% growth YOY.

by Akiko Fujita & Melody Hahm
See full article at Yahoo Finance

See the top news on Match.com

Match CEO: 'We're Going to See the Biggest Cuffing Season Ever'

YAHOO FINANCE - June 7 - While the summer is generally a time for casual dating, Match CEO Hesam Hosseini thinks the fall of 2021 looks to be particularly auspicious for more serious relationships to blossom. "We predict that come the fall we’re going to see the biggest cuffing season ever." Match will soon provide U.S. users the ability to display "vaccinated badges" on their profiles. And in partnership with the White House, the dating juggernaut is offering free "Super Likes" and other boosts for users who say they are vaccinated. The campaign will last until July 4, which President Biden set as the deadline to have 70% of Americans fully or partially vaccinated.

by Melody Hahm
See full article at Yahoo Finance

See the top news on Match.com

Match to Singles: "Lick Every Stranger You Can" This Summer

MEDIAPOST - June 2 - Match is using different messaging in a summer campaign running in New York and Los Angeles. Created by Mojo Supermarket, the social media, outdoor, and lollipop campaign runs through June and was "meant to respond to what is happening in culture as summer gets underway," according to Mo Said, Founder and Creative Chief of Mojo Supermarket.

by Amy Corr
See full article at MediaPost

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Dating Apps Adding Vax Badges and Filters

ABC7 NEWS - May 24 - In-person dating came mostly to a halt during the pandemic. Now that things are opening up, many people are still taking things slow. OkCupid says there was a 680% jump in the use of the term "vaccinated" in user profiles in April compared to February. Four in 10 daters say they'd cancel a date with someone who didn't want to get the COVID vaccine. In a partnership with the White House to encourage vaccines, dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish announced they will create virtual vaccination status badges. Some apps will also let users filter out potential matches based on vaccination status. Hinge says more than half its users say they plan on going on more in-person dates after getting their shots.

by Victoria Sanchez
See full article at ABC7 News

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Match Group Teams up With White House to Promote COVID-19 Vaccines

PR NEWSWIRE - May 21 - Tinder, Match, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, BLK, Chispa will give vaccinated U.S. users dating "Boosts". U.S. users will get vaccination badges to display on their profiles, as well as free "Super Likes" and other boost-type features. The campaigns will launch in the coming weeks and run until July 4th.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Match Group

Seniors Are Using Dating Apps and Tinder Leads the Pack

FORBES - May 14 - According to a new survey conducted by Choice Mutual, an independent insurance agency, seniors are increasingly turning to dating apps. The study found roughly a third of seniors who have dated within the last five years have turned to dating apps for help and according to Choice Mutual many have found success. 66% of those using dating apps had a relationship with someone they met through the platform. 35% used Tinder, followed by Match.com (28%), Hinge (25%), Plenty of Fish (25%) and Bumble (24%).

by Peter Suciu
See full article at Forbes

Match Releases 2021 Summer of Love Survey

PR NEWSWIRE - May 13 - Match surveyed ~2K of its single users on what kind of "hot" summer they're really looking to have. 70% are ready to put themselves out there as much as possible this coming summer. 69% feel more confident in who they are looking for after the past year. 40% feel more excited about the idea of meeting new people through dating. 52% are worried potential matches won't be looking for a serious relationship over the next few months. 71% want to be in a serious relationship this summer, while only 7% don't.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on Match.com

Dr Helen Fisher to Speak at LTR Edition 7

OPW - Apr 10 - Dr Helen Fisher is one of the world's leading anthropologists and has been Chief Scientific Advisor to Match since 2005. She was instrumental in the formation of Chemistry and it's compatibility profiling. Dr Fisher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute, which focuses on sexuality, relationships and well-being. Noted author, Helen has written essential reads: Why Him, Why Her, and Why We Love.

Helen's TED talks have attracted over 20 million views. She's also a regular in the media. See her on Charlie Rose.

TOPIC: Interview - Internet Dating Science in the 2020s

LTR Edition 7 is on Thursday 15th April starting 11:30am EST (New York). If you hold a full time leadership role at an Internet dating company then you are welcome to join IDEA for free, and welcome to join LTR events for free. See the LTR Edition 7 overview, speakers and invite page here. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP for LTR. There are 80 places only.

LTR is kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Utopia Analytics, Tawkify, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.

The Cost of Finding Love Through Dating Apps

NEWSANYWAY - Apr 2 - Which app is the best value for money when it comes to finding a perfect match?

Tinder Gold (1 month) - £7.49 per month - The cheapest app, and the one that dominates the field, is Tinder. Generally speaking, Tinder is thought to be great for young people, especially those who live in big cities and are on the lookout for a more casual dating experience.
Hinge Preferred (1 month) - £19.99 - Hinge is generally targeted at 18–35 year-olds, but unlike Tinder, it's associated more for those who are looking for a serious relationship.
Bumble Boost (1 month) - £20.99 - Bumble still generally falls into the same category of being perfect for young daters who are looking for some flirty messaging and casual dating.
Match.com Premium (1 month) - £29.99 - Match.com is considered one of the more mature dating apps, although it is targeted at millennials and older generations alike.

See full article at News Anyway

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